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"Se puso" means "it/he/she started" but it comes from "poner," which means "to put." So I agree this is more colloquial than litteral, because litterally, the phrase would mean "it/he/she put." You can use this sometimes when you say, "Se puso su chumpa"--"He/she/it put on his/her/its coat." Or you could say: "Se puso sus antiojos"--"He/she/it put on his/her/its glasses." :-)

Oh, I forgot to say: The literal/direct translation of "it started to rain" would be "empezo a llover." "Empezo" comes from "empesar," which means "to start." So, again, you are right, the translation duo lingo provided IS colloquial, not literal/direct. :-)